Harsh Mariwala’s Post

Strong leaders don’t fear brighter lights around them, they build the stage bigger so everyone can shine.

As David Ogilvy said "If you hire people smaller than you, you will become a company of dwarfs. Hire people bigger than you, and you will be a company of giants". Never forget this lesson. It also helped me turn-around the Ogilvy Koltatta office, which made a profit after 20 years of losses and still does so...I think

Spot on. The strongest leaders aren’t the ones who know everything, but the ones secure enough to surround themselves with people who know more.

100% True leadership is creating an environment where their strengths amplify yours.

Absolutely. I’ve seen that the real challenge is not just hiring people smarter than you, but creating an environment where their strengths shine without our ego getting in the way. That’s where lasting teams are built.

So true. The paradox is obvious but hard to practice. If you only hire people you’re smarter than, the company plateaus at your level. The ones that outlast their founders are built by people who aren’t afraid to be outshone.

The owners mindset is different than professional CEO employees. The latter will mostly always be insecure. This is a brutal fact. Owners who were involved in marketing with top agencies created great ads, great tv commercials and copies that we even remember today after decades. The employee CEOs are risk averse - they lack pure gut instincts. Owners and professional CEO employees think very differently.

Harsh ji When talented people are hired, how do you handle existing seniors who contributed but do not allow talented young people

This is such an underrated leadership principle. The strongest teams are built not by doubling down on the founder’s strengths, but by surrounding them with people who cover blind spots. It’s humility that turns into scalability. Harsh Mariwala